Youngsters with a £280 sweets habit

By Celia Hall, Medical Editor

12:01AM GMT 26 Jan 2007

British children spend nearly £280 a year each on sweets and fizzy drinks and have the worst eating habits in Europe, a survey reveals today.

The figures go a long way to explaining the obesity epidemic, with children as young as five spending more than £100 a year on sweets and the same on fizzy drinks. The information comes from market analysts Datamonitor, which says that snacking has never been easier.

Not only do British children snack but they are more likely than European children to skip breakfast, "the most important meal of the day". British six to 13-year-olds skip 90 breakfasts a year, on average, a quarter of all breakfasts, compared with Italian children who miss only 30.

"High-profile media campaigns have managed to jolt many parents into taking more control of their children's diet. However the impact has been minimal," said Nick Beevors, a Datamonitor analyst. "Kids in the UK continue to top a number of unhealthy food consumption charts."

The reports describes spending by five to nine-year-olds and 10 to 13-year-olds on sweets and fizzy drinks in 2005. The younger age group spent £106, and the "tweens" £128, on sweets compared with the lowest consumers, Italian children, who spent £31 and £39 respectively.

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British primary school age children spent £107, and the older children £149, on fizzy drinks compared with the lowest consumers, French children, who spent £32 and £49 respectively.

Mr Beevors said: "Grabbing a quick snack during the walk home from school has never been easier or more tempting.

"The busy schedules of today's working parents also have a knock-on effect on children's consumption creating a need for 'hold-me-over' afternoon snacks to compensate for later evening meal times."

He added: "Manufacturers and marketers have the duty to make responsible marketing a central theme of all kid focused targeting in the future. Marketers must balance the well-being of kids with the success of their efforts."